[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 143 (Monday, July 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44324-44325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18251]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration


Proposed Posting, Posting, and Deposting of Stockyards

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 
(GIPSA) is taking several actions to post and depost stockyards under 
the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act). Specifically, we are 
proposing that 17 stockyards now operating subject to the P&S Act be 
posted. We are also posting eight stockyards that were identified 
previously as operating subject to the P&S Act and deposting one 
stockyard that no longer meets the definition of a stockyard.

DATES: For the proposed posting of stockyards, we will consider 
comments that we receive on or before August 11, 2015.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may 
submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-
line instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: (202) 690-2173.
     Mail, hand delivery, or courier: R. Dexter Thomas, GIPSA, 
USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-S, Washington, DC 20250-
3604.
    Instructions: All comments should refer to the date and page number 
of this issue of the Federal Register. The comments and other documents 
relating to this action will be available for public inspection during 
regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine M. Grasso, Program Analyst, 
Litigation and Economic Analysis Division at (202) 720-7201 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GIPSA administers and enforces the P&S Act 
of 1921, (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.). The P&S Act prohibits unfair, 
deceptive, and fraudulent practices by livestock market agencies, 
dealers, stockyard owners, meat packers, swine contractors, and live 
poultry dealers in the livestock, poultry, and meatpacking industries.
    Section 302 of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 202) defines the term 
``stockyard'' as follows: ``. . . any place, establishment, or facility 
commonly known as stockyards, conducted, operated, or managed for 
profit or nonprofit as a public market for livestock producers, 
feeders, market agencies, and buyers, consisting of pens, or other 
enclosures, and their appurtenances, in which live cattle, sheep, 
swine, horses, mules, or goats are received, held, or kept for sale or 
shipment in commerce.''
    Section 302 (b) of the P&S Act requires the Secretary of 
Agriculture to determine which stockyards meet this definition, and to 
notify the owner of the stockyard and the public of that determination 
by posting a notice in each designated stockyard. Once the Secretary 
provides notice to the stockyard owner and the public, the stockyard is 
subject to the provisions of Title III of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 201-203 
and 205-217a) until the Secretary deposts the stockyard by public 
notice. To post a stockyard, we assign the stockyard a facility number, 
notify the stockyard owner, and send an official posting notice to the 
stockyard owner to display in a public area of the stockyard. This 
process is referred to as ``posting.'' The date of posting is the date 
that the posting notices are physically displayed at the stockyard. A 
facility that does not meet the definition of a stockyard is not 
subject to the P&S Act, and therefore cannot be posted. A posted 
stockyard can be deposted, which occurs when the facility is no longer 
used as a stockyard.
    We are hereby notifying stockyard owners and the public that the 
following 17 stockyards meet the definition of a stockyard, and that we 
propose to designate these stockyards as posted stockyards.

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     Proposed  facility No.             Stockyard name and location
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AR-184..........................  Mid-State Stockyards, LLC, Damascus,
                                   Arkansas.
AZ-119..........................  Arizona Livestock Auction, Buckeye,
                                   Arizona.
GA-236..........................  Trion Livestock Auction, LLC, Trion
                                   Georgia.
GA-237..........................  Deer Run Auction Co., Adel, Georgia.
KY-187..........................  Steele Hollow Stockyard, LLC,
                                   Rockholds, Kentucky.
KY-188..........................  Franklin Livestock Market, Inc.,
                                   Franklin, Kentucky.
MS-179..........................  Integrity Livestock Auction, LLC,
                                   Brookhaven, Mississippi.
MS-180..........................  Ramsey Livestock Sales, Inc.,
                                   Vicksburg, Mississippi.
MO-289..........................  Archangel Outreach Ministries, Inc., d/
                                   b/a CRS & Highlandville Sales,
                                   Highlandville, Missouri.
NC-180..........................  Stephens Auction Co., Lumberton, North
                                   Carolina.
NC-181..........................  Flippin Chicken Auction & Sales,
                                   Beulaville, North Carolina.
OK-218..........................  JC Stockyards Auction, LLC, Meeker,
                                   Oklahoma.
TN-212..........................  WJ Auction Co., LLC, Telford,
                                   Tennessee.
TN-213..........................  Saddle Brook Stables, Jamestown,
                                   Tennessee.
TN-214..........................  Wiser Farms/Triple ``M'' Farms,
                                   Shelbyville, Tennessee.
TX-358..........................  Paris Livestock Auction, LLC, Paris,
                                   Texas.
UT-119..........................  Anderson Livestock Auction Co.,
                                   Willard, Utah.
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    We are also notifying the public that the stockyards listed in the 
following table meet the P&S Act's definition of a stockyard and that 
we have posted the stockyards. On July 15, 2014, we published a notice 
in the Federal Register (79 FR 41255-41256) of our proposal to post 
these eight stockyards. Since we received no comments to our proposal, 
we assigned the stockyards a facility number and notified the owner of 
the stockyard facilities. Posting notices were sent to the owner of the 
stockyard to display in public areas of

[[Page 44325]]

the stockyard. The table below reflects the date of posting for each 
stockyard.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Stockyard name and         Date of
         Facility No.                   location              posting
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AL-198........................  Central Auction Barn,         10/22/2014
                                 Electic, Alabama.
AR-183........................  Mollie Wright--Wright's       10/06/2014
                                 Small Animal Auction,
                                 Benton, Arkansas.
AZ-118........................  Sonoran Livestock             10/17/2014
                                 Marketing, LLC,
                                 Douglas, Arizona.
KY-186........................  Ricky M. Kepley, dba          09/30/2014
                                 Franklin Livestock
                                 Market, Franklin,
                                 Kentucky.
TN-208........................  Treadway Livestock            10/17/2014
                                 Exchange, Thorn Hill,
                                 Tennessee.
TN-209........................  Darrells Auction and          09/30/2014
                                 Livestock, Powder
                                 Springs, Tennessee.
TN-210........................  Rising Star Ranch, LLC,       10/06/2014
                                 Shelbyville, Tennessee.
TN-211........................  Circle R Auction,             10/07/2014
                                 Ethridge, Tennessee.
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    Finally, we are notifying the public that the following stockyard 
no longer meets the definition of a stockyard and it is being deposted. 
We depost stockyards when the facility can no longer be used as a 
stockyard. The reasons a facility can no longer be used as a stockyard 
may include the following: (1) The market agency has moved and the 
posted facility is abandoned; (2) the facility has been torn down or 
otherwise destroyed, such as by fire; (3) the facility is dilapidated 
beyond repair; or (4) the facility has been converted and its function 
has changed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Stockyard name and
                                        location           Date posted
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AR-128........................  Searcy County Livestock      02/18/1959
                                 Market, Marshall,
                                 Arkansas.
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    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 202.

Susan B. Keith,
Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-18251 Filed 7-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P